Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Katherine Jackson.
Hi Dr. Jackson, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
“We stand on the shoulders of those that have come before us, grandparents, parents, teachers, mentors, friends, and family; because of these people, we are able to see more clearly and gain insight from their imparted wisdom, which ultimately make our lives better.” KJackson, 2022
As a child, I grew up in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This was in the mid-1960s’- to early 1970s when the DRC was establishing independence from a long rule of colonization from Belgium. My parents, like my grandparents who were also helpers in the Congo, were in the service/healthcare field and had wanted to help in the independence of this country. I was born in Belgium to American parents, and at 3 months old made the long and perilous journey with my older brother and parents to Bulape, Congo. This journey was undertaken by ship, and later via Land Rover across untamed land devoid of roads.
I start this story here, in the wild, beautiful, and terrifying landscape of a majestic country and her people who had been oppressed and persecuted for over a century by Belgian colonists. My youth was spent in the middle of the rain forest with African children, and an African caregiver (Baba). I learned from my Baba, and participated in traditional Congolese traditions, of gathering fruits and nuts for nourishment, the trapping of termites for eating, learning about snakes, monkeys, and other wild animals, as well as participating in children’s fun and games. I was what Pollock and Van Reken (2017) call Third Culture Kids, someone who has American parents but grows up in another country, adopting those countries norms and ideals, as well as understanding their parents’ worldview.
We left the DRC in the 1970s amid political unrest and a hostile military climate. We returned to the American south, which was home to my family. Looking back on this time of great transition and change, I believe my mind was foggy as if underwater. So great were the differences in my childhood of living in a developing country vs. the climate in the United States in the 1970s. I saw discrimination of persons of color and women first hand, saw the Vietnam war with death counts scrolling on the television, and a world of great privilege and abundance. It took years to assimilate to my new culture and understand the framework of what it means to be American.
As a child immersed in African culture, I was exposed to art and music practices, medicinal herbs and plants, as well as a curiosity about people and customs. As I was ready to go into college, I thought that following an art course would meet my creative spirit and need to express. As I began taking graphic design courses at the University of Cincinnati, I realized rather quickly that this was not my path. I ended up changing majors to Psychology, which satisfied my curiosity for understanding human beings and how and why they acted and behaved in certain ways. I later earned my Master’s in Expressive Therapy with an emphasis on Art Therapy. Once, my three children were born, I went back to school once more and earned a Ph.D. in Psychology, but I am getting ahead of myself here.
After my master’s degree, I landed a job in the greater Cleveland area in a hospital, and because of my interest in art therapy was asked to teach as an adjunct faculty at Ursuline College in their master’s in counseling and Art Therapy program. Soon thereafter, I opened a private counseling practice with my colleague in Beachwood, Ohio. Let me digress. None of this was easy. Because of my early childhood, I always felt out of place, outside the box, and not in step with the rest of my peers. I was on a quest to understand myself, others, and the world through creative means, such as art making, storytelling, and any expressive counseling techniques. As I began teaching and providing mental health therapy for others, I realized just how great a fit both career paths were. In my teaching, I could be a mentor and teacher to those with similar interests and a desire to help others, and in my private practice, I could witness and hold space for individuals’ transformative self-evolutions.
Right after my youngest child was born in 2001, I got a call from Catholic Charities- Migration Refugee Services. They were aware of my upbringing in Africa and my Art Therapy training, which prompted them to ask if I could work a few hours a week with the Lost Boys of Sudan, a refugee group of young men, who had been displaced by rebels and war in Sudan. I jumped at this opportunity to be of service. It felt like I was going “home” to help my people, the people I had grown up with. This service to displaced Africans expanded to include many displaced persons from Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia, Congo, and Rwanda. Providing service in the form of creative expression and art therapy led to my establishing a Service-Learning program at Ursuline College.
Looking back on my life, it occurred to me that one of the issues, that haunted me, was how people in the United States were ignorant or not informed of the devastation caused by colonizers in Africa, hardships in other countries as well as the toll of colonization, and widespread genocide of Native American populations in the United States. I realized that human beings just want to be seen and heard and that we are all interconnected. When someone in Africa hurts, we all hurt, even if we cannot see the impact immediately.
In 2012, I began a Service-Learning program through Ursuline college where students, alumni, and community members, could travel to various locations to provide loving kindness, being seen and seeing other human beings, as well providing heartfelt love and care for those in dire circumstances. To date, we have journeyed to South Dakota to work with Lakota Sioux (for 7 years), Nepal to work with orphans and sexually traumatized girls, Africa (South Africa and Zimbabwe) to work with underserved children and victim of AIDS, Peru, El Salvador, Ecuador, and Hungary. Currently, we have narrowed our focus to the Lakota Sioux in South Dakota, Nepal, and Africa, where our skills and unique approach are needed the most.
Life has come full circle; I am continuing the work that my grandparents and parents started in helping people in the Congo. My vision is clear, not because I am extraordinary or special, but because I stand on the shoulders of those that came before, that were willing to sacrifice and work hard to pave the way for my work to exist in this world. I am in a long line of passing the baton in this relay of helping others.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Dr. Katherine Jackson, Ph.D., ATR-BC, RYT is an Associate full-time professor at Ursuline College in the Counseling & Art therapy Masters program. She is the creator of the Service Learning program at Ursuline College, where she engages her students in helping those underserved in the USA and abroad. Dr. Jackson is an art therapist and mental health therapist in private practice at Beachwood Counseling Center, where she works with individuals, couples, and families who need help with depression, anxiety, personal growth, and/or life transitions. Dr. Jackson is also a registered yoga teacher; she utilizes yoga practice, meditation, and guided imagery in her work with clients in her private practice.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
My best advice is to “lean into discomfort.” There is no quick fix or easy answer. We grow and evolve when we are uncomfortable. When you get uncomfortable, know that you are about to grow and transform!
Contact Info:
- Email: kjackson@ursuline.edu | dr.katherinejackson@gmail.com
- Website: katherinejacksonphd.com | Ursuline.edu | beachwoodcounselingcenter.com
